By Ka'Deem Wynn of DyeStat

Sophomore sensation Claudia Lane won this year’s Foot Locker Cross Country national title after separating from the pack early on and finishing with an incredible surge, crossing the line in 17:05. Senior Reed Brown kept it close over the course of a tight and ever changing race and sprinted towards the finish to win his national title in 15:02.

Lane, one of the favorites after her victory in the West Region, came through the mile around 5:18, chased closely by second-place finisher, senior Nevada Mareno (South regional champion). With the battle for the national title between Lane and Mareno, the pace remained hot, even when Mareno pulled up next to her during the third mile.

Her first time racing on this course, Lane used the downhills to her advantage, which ultimately helped her win her first national title. After gapping Mareno while running down the final hill just prior to the finish, the newly created space wasn’t enough room for Mareno to respond. Lane found an extra gear to to pull away for a 3.5-seccond victory.

Mareno would finish as this year’s runner-up, with Rebecca Storey finishing in a strong, but distant, third.

In the boys race, Seth Hirsch, the Midwest Regional champion who also finished fourth last weekend at NXN, brought the intensity early, and led the way during the race, bringing the lead pack through the first mile in 4:46. Featuring the likes of Brown, Finn Gessner, Tibs Proctor and Connor Lane, among others, the leaders jostled for position as the race heated over the last 1.5 miles.

However, it was Brown from Texas, a 4:04 miler, who used the downhill on both laps of the course, keeping himself in contention with Hirsch and Gessner, eventually using his incredible foot speed to switch into another gear, surging from third to first in the final 200 meters, running 15:02. Gessner and Hirsch battled the last 80 meters, with Gessner holding on to second and Hirsch taking third.